OAKLAND (UNITED STATES) - The Golden State Warriors burnished their NBA-leading record, roughing up defending champions San Antonio 110-99.
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during an NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden on February 15, 2015
Stephen Curry, fresh from winning the three-point contest during the league's All-Star weekend last Saturday, scored 25 points and handed out 11 assists to lead the Warriors.
Golden State looked fresh in their first game since the All-Star break, a welcome sight for coach Steve Kerr who thought all that winning prior to the All-Star Game had left his team in need of a rest.
Klay Thompson scored 20 points and Harrison Barnes contributed 16 to help the Warriors open the second half of the season on a strong note.
The Spurs, meanwhile, weren't looking as if the All-Star break did them much good.
A day after they were sluggish in the second half of a loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles, their starting back court of Tony Parker and Danny Green managed just six combined points on 1-of-8 shooting.
Aron Baynes and Kawhi Leonard scored 12 points apiece for the Spurs and Boris Diaw chipped in 11 but San Antonio never led by more than three in a back-and-forth battle that saw 16 lead changes in the first half.
After Tim Duncan's hook shot gave the visitors a 53-52 advantage late in the second quarter, Curry took over.
After Barnes hit a three-pointer and Thompson split a brace of free throws, Curry scored six straight points in less than a minute with a layup and four free throws.
Leading 62-55 at halftime, the Warriors opened the third quarter on a 7-0 scoring run to stretch their advantage and they closed the frame on an 11-0 scoring run.
The Warriors twice led by as many as 22 in the fourth, when Spurs coach Gregg Popovich rested his starters.
It was a morale-building win for the Warriors against a Western Conference power. The Spurs had won five straight against Golden State and 22 of their last 24 regular-season clashes.
"It's a little hump we've just got to get over," Golden State's Andre Iguodala said. "I think it'll be smart for us to just use the regular season as that hurdle and get over it and by the time the playoffs get here we're at full swing."